Domestic Bliss
by TenRose4ever
Summary: A series of one-shots wherein the Doctor displays some domestic tendencies. (Mostly fluffy in nature and usually Rose x 10.)
1. Chapter 1: Surprise

**So here is the first in my series of one-shots wherein the Doctor shows domestic tendencies: some of them will be really obvious and other times it might just be a mention. Most will be fluffy; some will be happy and fun; others will be sad and angsty. Most will be TenXRose, although I have a NineXRose ready to post next time.**

**I hope you enjoy reading them. I am certainly enjoying writing them, and if you have any ideas for other scenarios that I might consider, please PM me (just not TenToo ones, because I feel that he HAS to do domestic anyway.) And just in case you didn't know, I don't own Doctor Who or any of the characters, it's just lots of fun to create stories about them.**

**This one is TenXRose (my OTP!)**

**Louise**

** Surprise**

The sound of an explosion rattled through the T.A.R.D.I.S., jerking Rose abruptly out of a deep sleep. Ready to run, as she always was since she had been travelling with the Doctor, she leaped from her bed and flew out of her bedroom, into the hallway. Another explosion! Followed by a string of what Rose could only interpret as Gallifreyan expletives, told her that the turmoil was not originating from the console room as she would have expected, but from the direction of the galley. Heart pounding, she started off toward the commotion but was brought up short by the presence of the T.A.R.D.I.S. in her mind: a calm reassurance with an underlying tickle of amusement. Rose sighed in relief, "Thanks, old girl," she murmured, placing her hand gently against the warm wall of the time machine. "Now how 'bout I find out what that daft alien is up to, yeah."

Rose adopted a stealthy approach, tiptoeing down the hallway to the galley. The explosions had stopped, but she heard the Doctor's sonic screwdriver buzzing and, intermittently, his voice still uttering profanities under his breath. Peeking through the galley doorway, Rose quickly stifled an astonished exclamation (and a fit of the giggles) at the sight before her: the aftermath of the Oncoming Storm.

The entire room was coated in what appeared to be flour, cocoa, and globs of batter. Milk was spilled over the counter, dripping aimlessly onto the floor, and banana skins were draped over various surfaces. The fridge door was hanging off its hinges, and its contents had tumbled out. Broken eggs and empty egg shells were scattered throughout the space, and the oven was emitting lazy streamers of smoke.

In the very centre of the carnage stood the Time Lord himself: he was running his hands through his spiky, flour-coated hair in frustration, and his face was the picture of misery. A banana peel dangled pointlessly from his pinstriped shoulder. Rose felt her heart swell with compassion, as she watched him pull a smoking baking tin from the oven and slump hopelessly against the countertop. "Oh, my Doctor, what are you up to?" she muttered when he tossed the charred remains into the sink. Normally she would have wasted no time in taking advantage of the opportunity to poke some fun at him, but something about his demeanor warned her against this. Somehow, she knew that, today, it would devastate him to have her see him like this.

She was about to turn away and slip back to her room when she saw him pull her mobile from his suit jacket pocket and dial one of the pre-set numbers. Before she had time to contemplate how he had got a hold of her phone, she became engrossed by the conversation that she overheard and an expression of bemusement spread across her face.

"No, Jackie, it's me … yes, sorry, I know it's late. I forgot: lose track of time, sometimes."

"No, no, she's fine, amazing, brilliant, actually," he tugged on his ear nervously. "Actually, it's just that … um, weeeeellll, I, uh –"

"– need your help." There was a long pause as he listened to the response on the other end of the line. A frown creased his forehead, and his eyes gradually darkened in anger.

"WHAT? WHAT? Apologise for what?"

"No, no, no, no! Don't hang up, Jackie! Jackie! Urggh!" he snapped the phone closed and grumbled more Gallifreyan curses. "Can't believe she hung up on me. ME!" he exclaimed, kicking an upturned bowl across the floor in a temper. "Now what am I going to do?"

Rose considered that he might like to start cleaning up the catastrophic mess around him, but instead, he crossed his arms, stuck out his lower lip, and pouted like a little boy who had been sent to his room. It was all she could do to resist stepping out of the shadows and give him a hug. Maybe she could even brush some of the flour and cocoa out of that gorgeous hair … mmmmmm. She was shaken out of her reverie when he pulled out the phone again.

With a sigh, he dialed, "Alright, I'm sorry."

He gritted his teeth at Jackie's response, "I'm sorry I tried to improve the function of your toaster..."

"WHAT? It's a screwdriver!" his voice took on an angry edge again.

"Noooooo! No, Jackie, please, don't hang up!" He took a deep breath to calm himself, and mumbled into the phone, "I'm sorry that I ruined your toaster, Jackie. But really these human inventions are so inefficient –"

"I promise."

"Really, Jackie, I promise, I'll never try to help again. Please, will you help me? I don't know where else to go …"

"Now, that wasn't very nice, Jackie! After all, I _did_ apologise. Never in my more than nine hundred years have I had to apologize to someone's mother. No, don't go, Jackie, please! It's for Rose!" he shouted in desperation.

"Well, it's her Birthday tomorrow, as I'm sure you know –"

"No, I wasn't trying to be rude. Of course you'd remember! Do you want to know what I want help with or not?"

"Well, fine, then! I shouldn't have bothered." His tone turned defeated, "Oh, by the way, I'm sure she'll want to drop by sometime tomorrow so she can celebrate with you. S'pose we'll see you then." He hung up, and despondently began to pick up some of the debris from the counter.

Rose was ready to step out and reveal herself, when the mobile rang. The Doctor stared at the call display, groaned, and answered it. "Hnnnn," he grunted, uncharacteristically tight-lipped.

"Oh, Jackie! Really? You'll help?" he grinned enthusiastically, making Rose's heart do a little backflip.

"Oh, right! Well, it's Rose's Birthday –"

"I'm not trying to be condescending. But I _am_ rather brilliant –"

"Yes, I _do_ need your help, Jackie. I _am_ very clever, but I'm afraid that I do need your help with something –"

"I've been trying to bake Rose a chocolate-banana birthday cake, and, weeeell, it's hopeless. A disaster, really. Please, Jackie. Will you help me? I just wanted to do something personal from me to her, to let her know that I lo-," he stammered, and Rose caught her breath, "… well, because she's, she's Rose."

"I'll be right over! Oh, and could we decorate it with those edible ball-bearings? Amazing, they are! And you are, too, Jackie!"

"Right, I'll see you in one minute, 3 point 6 seconds!"

Rose quickly ducked deeper into the shadows around the doorway as the Doctor rushed by, heading toward the console room, oblivious to her presence. Rose made her way back to her room with a smile plastered on her face. And, as she felt the T.A.R.D.I.S. land she was curling up under her covers and drifting off to sleep, again.

The next morning, she awoke to the Doctor standing by the side of her bed with a manic grin lighting his face, his hands behind his back. "Happy Birthday, Rose Tyler!"

She smiled up at him from under her sleep-tousled hair, and struggled to sit up. She blushed a little, "You remembered!"

"Rose Tyler, how could I forget to celebrate the most important day in the Universe?"

As she felt the heat of her blush increase even more, he pulled the finished cake from behind his back with one hand, and a little package, neatly wrapped in T.A.R.D.I.S.-blue paper, in the other. He bounced on his toes, waiting for her approval, and she obliged him by beaming at him with a little laugh. "For me? Where did you get the cake, Doctor?"

"Rose," he put on a show of being mock-offended, "I baked it myself, of course! It's banana-chocolate, and look: covered in edible ball-bearings. Only the best for you!"

She shook her head lovingly at his little lie, because she realized that it didn't really matter. He had sacrificed so much of his pride to make that cake just for her, and she loved him so much for it. "Oh, you put candles on it, too!"

"Twenty-one, my Precious Girl."

"Oh, let's light them and I can blow them out and make my wish! And open my present," she laughed. "And we can have cake for breakfast!"

"That we can! And we'll visit Jackie later so you can celebrate together. Would you like that?" he asked as he soniced the candles alight.

"That _would_ be nice," she agreed with a little smirk. "You'll come too, won't you? I know she's probably still angry about the toaster …"

"For you, Rose, I would happily face one hundred angry Jackie Tylers."

And as Rose blew out the candles, she wished for forever with her Doctor.


	2. Chapter 2: Stung

**Thanks so much for all those who have read, reviewed, followed, and favourited! I hope you all enjoy this next one: It is a Nine/Rose one-shot. I ship Rose and Ten, but I always love how Nine is so absolutely besotted with Rose. But he also likes to give her a hard time, covering up his feelings behind that leather jacket of his. I hope I did him justice in this.**

**WARNING: A lot of FLUFF! :D There should be a new category: "Fluff without Plot"! (FWP) That would be this!**

**DISCLAIMER: Of course I don't own anything to do with Doctor Who or the characters, but they're just so fun to write about! How could I resist?**

**Enjoy,**

**Louise**

**Chapter #2: Stung**

"You stupid little ape!" the Doctor barked. "Typical! I can't leave you alone for two seconds without you finding trouble! Too jeopardy-friendly, you are."

Rose's eyes filled with hot rage and she opened her mouth to retort, but all that came out was a hoarse gurgle. Reacting to the raw pain, her hands flew to her throat.

"You _had_ to go and get stung by that firewasp, after I told you not to touch _anything_ until I made sure it was safe," he shook his head as Rose mutely stamped her foot and glared at him. He hoped she wouldn't see his fear beneath the mask of anger: she might get the idea that he was becoming sentimental toward her. He carefully observed her: face flushed, beads of perspiration on her forehead and upper lip. "And you're developing a fever, too. What am I going to do with you now? Take you home to your Mummy? You're no use to me like _this_."

If looks could kill, he was sure she would have forced him to regenerate several times in that last few seconds. She started to take an aggressive step toward him, but her legs crumpled underneath her as a wave of vertigo washed over her. He swept her into his arms before she struck the ground. "Right then, back home with you," he began to stride back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. She weakly thumped his leather-clad chest with a clenched fist in protest.

"Oh, don't worry," he reassured her acerbically. "With my luck, Jackie would probably have a second-hand reaction to the venom. Much as I'd love to see her rendered speechless, it's not worth the personal risk. I'm still recovering from the last time she slapped me."

"Oi," Rose managed to rasp out. Her outburst was followed by a groan of pain.

"I suppose you'll have to stay," he stated, ignoring her rebuke. "Now, just you hold still, Rose," he chided as she began to wriggle in protest at being carried, and he tightened his grip. He thought that it felt quite nice to have her in his arms, but he wouldn't let on about that: it might send the wrong message; she was just his companion after all. "Honestly, I don't know how you lot manage with your weak human immune systems. The T.A.R.D.I.S. should have something to make you feel better, though. Then some bed rest for a few days, and you'll be back to normal," he gave her a cheeky, see-how-clever-I-am smile. It quickly turned to a frown at her expression of exasperation, "You're lucky it's only a couple of days, Rose Tyler. Maybe that'll teach you not to go wandering off the second my back is turned. You're nothing but trouble, you are." She crossed her arms belligerently over her chest and turned her face away from him. He smiled at her fondly, knowing she couldn't see it, and pulled her just a little closer to him, once again.

He brought her to the T.A.R.D.I.S.'s med-bay and laid her down on the examination table. Her arms were still firmly crossed and she was resolutely not meeting his eye as he ran some scans. He was sure he saw a trace of tears sparkling at the corners of her eyes. "Well, just as I thought, Rose. The effects of the toxin will just have to run their course. But I can give you something to help your fever … and your sore throat, I suppose. And here I was thinking I would get some peace and quiet for a change." He noticed her tense up even more in response to that last statement. He grinned in delight at the prospect of the tongue-lashing he was sure to receive once she had her voice back. He placed the medication patch on the inside of her wrist and then tenderly scooped her into his arms again. "Off to bed, now. No arguments!"

Once in her bedroom, he laid her on the bed, and beamed his madcap grin down at her. "There, you go, Rose, you just rest now. I'll come check on you in a little while." She did not acknowledge him, just huffed, and turned her back to him. "See you later, then," he said cheerily, with no intentions of coming back any time very soon if she was going to treat him like that. If she wanted to sulk, then she could suffer alone. A little bit of suffering would do her good, and he wouldn't have to suffer her moodiness. Besides, he would be close by, but she didn't need to know that.

He had only just shut her door, and was striding towards the console room, when he heard a loud thump and a pained cry from her room. His hearts clenched in a quick spasm of guilt. "Rose?" he cracked the door open, and peered in to see her crumpled on the floor, halfway to the bathroom. As he rushed toward her, he could see her back heaving with silent sobs. He was filled with shame for having left her without properly seeing to her needs. "Rose! Come 'ere." She yanked away from his extended hand, fury at her helplessness clouding her features. "I'm sorry, Rose. Please let me help. You'll never manage with that toxin affecting your immune system."

By all the gods he didn't believe in, she was stubborn! She still struggled to get up on her own, but he offered his arm to her again. Reluctantly, with a quick, embarrassed glance, her eyes met his and she leaned on the proffered limb and hauled herself to her feet. He felt her stiffen as his arm slipped around her waist, but he refused to let her go.

He helped her into the bathroom. "I'll be just outside, Rose. Oh, for goodness sake, don't worry," he rolled his eyes at her squeak of protest, and her shooing gesture. "I won't listen. Honestly, over 900 years old and I've never met anyone as silly as you! Just signal me when you're ready to go back to bed, or if you need help." He sighed and stood resignedly outside the bathroom door until she opened it behind him, leaning weakly against the door frame.

"Right then, bed, Rose Tyler. Come 'ere," he took her hand and she leaned into him as they made their way to the bed. "Now, Rose, where do you keep your pyjamas?" Her eyebrows shot up in shock. "Well, you're not going to lie in bed for two or three days in your jeans are you? I won't look while you change … promise. Now where are they?"

Soon she was sitting up in bed with soft pillows at her back, dressed in her cozy flannel pyjamas – he had only peeked once – and a cup of warm tea in her hand. He thought his hearts would melt when she patted the mattress beside her, and held out her half-finished copy of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". "What do you want now, Rose?" he said curtly, his words belying his true feelings. "You are quite capable of reading that book by yourself. It doesn't need to be read out loud. I have things to do, you know. Can't waste my day entertaining you." She pleaded to him with imploring eyes, and an endearing smile. He made a show of yielding to her silent request with much groaning and blustering before removing his jacket and sitting down next to her. He draped one arm around her shoulders and picked up the book with the other.

When had he allowed her to wrap him so entirely around her little finger? It was categorically domestic, that's what it was! And as she snuggled into his chest, listening to him read, he found that he really didn't care: if this was domestic, then it was fantastic! But he wouldn't tell her that.


	3. Chapter 3: TARDIS-Blue

**Thanks again for all of the follows and favourites. It means the world (the multi-verse) to me. Hope you enjoy this one: it is a little different from my other stories (reads more like a fairy tale a bit.) **

**WARNING: a good dollop of angst despite the fluff!**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Doctor Who, but if I did, it would definitely be Tennant! :D **

**Chapter #3: T.A.R.D.I.S.-Blue**

The planet was beautiful, perfect, in fact: rolling hills of purple grasses; tall slender trees; and deep azure skies. The temperature was moderate year round. Best of all, it had no sentient life forms. Rose and the Doctor could come and go as they wished, knowing they weren't bothering a soul. And they came here often, when all the running and heroics became too much, even for them. When their lives had been seriously threatened they would park the T.A.R.D.I.S. and just lie out all night under the stars, holding one another close, until they fell asleep.

"We should build a little house here," Rose said one day, as they lay back after a picnic lunch, "just at the top of that hill, overlooking the lake. Then we could come here just to get away from everything. It would be ours."

"Can you imagine me settling down, Rose Tyler. Carpets? Curtains?"

"No, silly, just a place to come to relax, not to settle down. 'Sides, there's no need for curtains when there's no one to see in the windows," she grinned cheekily at him. "The whole house could be glass, Doctor!" she laughed, "But I sorta like the idea of T.A.R.D.I.S.-blue."

"You've been giving this some thought, then," he looked at her with his nose scrunched up worriedly, and a nervous glint in his eyes.

"Nah, just thinkin', right now. How beautiful it is. That it'd be nice to spend some time, yeah. Like a vacation spot of our very own. 'Sides, you _did_ say that there was a small rift near here. It'd give the T.A.R.D.I.S. a rest, too: time to recharge."

He just gazed at her in wonder and she smiled wistfully back at him.

"'S okay, Doctor. I wasn't serious. Jus' lettin' my mind wander's all. 'S just so peaceful here."

But the Doctor knew better: she _was_ being serious, though she would never admit it. As he considered it further, he realized that it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have a safe haven to retreat to now and again, especially if it was with Rose Tyler: a special place just for the two of them, safe from the Universe. And, so while she slept, he brought the T.A.R.D.I.S. to their little planet, and began to build the little T.A.R.D.I.S.-blue house at the top of the hill, overlooking the lake. He made it beautiful, pouring all of his two hearts into it, so that he and his Rose would feel peaceful and at home. He built them a bedroom, just one to share, and hoped she wouldn't mind. In the ceiling, above the bed, was a huge skylight so that they could lie all night under the stars. He built them a cozy den to curl up in with a good book or a movie. He included a kitchen where they could learn to cook together, fully stocked with jams to satisfy his sweet tooth, and potatoes to make chips for Rose. There were a few extra rooms near their bedroom, just in case they might find a use for them sometime in the future.

The day that she promised him "forever", he brought her to see the little T.A.R.D.I.S.-blue house for the first time. Tears filled her eyes and she gripped his hand with a little gasp. She remained speechless as he bounced through the house, holding her hand, and eagerly showing her all the special little bits that he had incorporated, rambling on about this and that as he did so. She grinned in response to his infectious exuberance.

He left the bedroom until last. "You promised to stay with me forever," he said, as he stood outside the bedroom door. He had quieted now, grown serious.

She bit her lip a little nervously as her eyes met his.

"Rose Tyler," he spoke in a husky whisper, "I want to stay with you forever, too." He opened the door and led her into the bedroom.

"'S beautiful," she sighed, and a tear trickled down her cheek. "Doctor…"

He stroked the tear from her cheek, and leaned in to kiss her lips gently, pouring all of his two hearts into that kiss so that she would know just how much she meant to him, would always mean to him ... forever. And that night, they lay under the stars, holding one another close, until they fell asleep.

The next day, they went to see Jackie Tyler, excited to tell her about their little T.A.R.D.I.S.-blue house and their vows of forever. But before they could share their news, Jackie told them about the ghosts. By the next day, they found themselves separated by the walls of two universes.

For the rest of his life, he could only hope that she knew what she meant to him, that she understood that for him, forever really did mean forever, and that he could never have built a house for anyone else.

He often visited the little T.A.R.D.I.S.-blue house when he needed to be alone with her memory, when he needed to share his sorrows and joys with her, and when all the running and heroics became too much, even for him. And at those times, he lay alone in their bed, under the stars, holding the memories of her close to him, until he fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Crossing a Line

**Hello Everyone! Thanks again for all the views, favourites, follows, and reviews!**

**This one was a bit of a challenge: it was supposed to be a cute, fluffy li'l thing, but it kept turning quite dark and dramatic on me. So, I stopped fighting it and let it happen. This is it. Next week, I will post the cuter, fluffier one, that I was finally able to write ONLY AFTER I got this one out of my system. Much of the content is very similar as they both started off as the same story, so I'm looking forward to what you think. I personally think that THIS one is the stronger story: it has more depth. I sort of think of these stories as Tenth Doctor and TenToo (starting off with the same content, but different paths followed.) **

**Disclaimer: No, don't own anything to do with Doctor Who and the characters. Love to write about them, though, and hope you enjoy reading! Allons-y!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Crossing a Line**

"G'morning," Rose yawned, stumbling blearily into the kitchen.

"Rose Tyler!" the Doctor replied, "Finally, you're up!"

"Only 'cuz you hammered on m'door …"

"You little humans and your depraved obsession with sleep. Honestly, the day's half gone already, Rose!" He turned away to pop a couple of slices of bread in the toaster, and flicked on the kettle for tea, still prattling away about how the wasted part of their day could have been spent more productively.

Rose groggily registered his use of the word "depraved", filing it away for future reference when she was coherent enough to respond appropriately. Right now, her bed was begging for her return. She turned away and staggered back to her room, leaving the garrulous Time Lord rambling as he prepared their favourite mugs for tea.

Soon she was flopped luxuriously amongst heaps of duvets and pillows. She revelled in the gentle hum of the T.A.R.D.I.S. surrounding her peacefully, and her last drowsy thoughts as she drifted back to sleep was that _this_ was a very productive use of her day.

* * *

"Roooooose," she quivered as he whispered her name into her ear, feeling his cool breath tickle seductively across her throat.

"Mmmmmm, Doctor …"

"- you disappeared, Rose, left me alone. The tea's gone cold, now."

Her eyes snapped open from her dream to find the Doctor leaning over her, a bereft expression shadowing his normally animated demeanor.

He pouted like a child, and the eyes that met hers were sad and somehow frightened, "I turned around and you weren't there. You can't wander off like that, Rose. How often do we have to go over this?"

"Doctor, we're on the T.A.R.D.I.S., 'member? Jus' went back to my room, yeah. Nothin's gonna happen to me here."

"But you need to have breakfast, Rose. Most important meal of the day, breakfast."

Rose glanced at the bedside clock that she kept set to Earth time: He had wakened her at what time? 5:00 a.m. – really? "Maybe in a little while, yeah, Doctor? I wanna sleep a little longer. 'M still knackered from having my brain drained by that 'Wire' thing." Rose noticed his face blanch at the mention of the alien parasite. She smiled gently at him. "'M okay, Doctor. Jus' need a little more sleep."

"Guess I'll just go off and fiddle with the T.A.R.D.I.S., then, while you rest. You rest, Rose … yeah, that's for the best," he leaned over and pressed his lips softly to her forehead. She nestled into her pillow, savouring the touch of his cool kiss, and smiled up at him. He gazed at her briefly, then despondently jammed his hands deep into his pinstriped pockets, and reluctantly turned from her and left the room. "Daft alien," she muttered fondly as her eyes fluttered closed again.

* * *

She was gradually awakened by a growing awareness of little metallic clinking noises coming from the foot of her bed. Her sleep-hazed eyes discerned a large, dark shape lurking there, and she squealed in shock, dragging herself backward into a defensive crouch, prepared to fight or flee if necessary.

"Ah, you're awake, Rose!" Her vision cleared to the sight of the Time Lord, sitting cross-legged on the end of her bed, tinkering with a random gadget from the T.A.R.D.I.S., and grinning maniacally at her.

"Doctor!" she yelped, "You scared the sh -" She felt her pulse slow to normal, "Just how long have you been sittin' there?"

"Oh, not long, really. Just for a couple of minutes …weeeeell, hours, actually. You were asleep (sleep seems like such a lonely activity) and I thought you'd like the company. Besides, I didn't want to waste a minute."

She frowned her confusion at him and he clarified: "To get you breakfast, Rose. The most important meal of the day, remember," he leaned over and tapped her on the forehead with his index finger. "Now that I know that you're awake, I'll go get it ready," he leaped up from his perch. "You stay right there, Rose Tyler: no wandering off!"

A glance at the clock told her that it was now 8:30 a.m. and, while still earlier than was ideal, she grudgingly told herself that it wouldn't be unreasonable to get up now. It would make the silly Time Lord happy, anyway. She shook head in wonder at him, chuckling silently to herself at his quirky behaviour: just when she thought she had seen it all, he challenged her and took "eccentric" to a whole new level.

As soon as the bedroom door had shut behind the Doctor, Rose tossed aside the covers and tottered toward the en suite, pausing every few steps to stretch languidly. Suddenly, his head popped back in through the door. "Rose, what kind of jam - Rose? Rose, where are you, Rose?" his voice took on an edge of panic as his eyes quickly surveyed the empty bed. He ran his hands through his hair in his anxiety, tugging at the unruly strands.

"'M right here, Doctor," Rose spoke quietly.

"I told you not to move, Rose, and the minute my back is turned, what do you do?"

Rose tried not to be offended. She knew there must be something more behind this, but she couldn't keep the angry tone from her voice, and snapped derisively at him, "Basic biological functions, Doctor." She sighed impatiently at his mystified expression, "I need the loo!"

"Oh, right, that explains it then." The manic grin returned, "So, jam?"

"Uh, strawberry, please …"

"And you won't wander off?"

"Just to the loo," she assured him, with a roll of her eyes. "I could just meet you in the kitchen, Doctor."

"No! No, no, no, Rose Tyler. You need to stay put."

"Doctor, why -," but he had disappeared down the hall to the kitchen, again. Rose released a long sigh slowly through her lips. She hadn't realized just how much the Doctor's jittery behaviour had affected her, made her feel so tense. She decided to have a quick shower to help her relax.

He still hadn't returned by the time she left the bathroom. She figured that he had probably become fascinated with some deviation in the whatcha-a-thingamie oscillator output or perhaps made some unnecessary repair to the kettle or something and had forgotten all about her. Either way, her stomach was now rumbling ferociously with hunger. "Right! Time for the most important meal of the day, Tyler," she declared to herself, and walked toward the kitchen.

As she walked through the galley doorway, she smiled at the image of the Doctor standing at the counter, spreading the requested strawberry jam on some toast. He had his back to her and did not notice her approach. "Did ya get lost, Doctor?" she teased. "Did ya have to go to the shop for more jam? Any flavour would have been fine!"

He whirled around abruptly at the sound of her voice, a scowl darkening his face. "You just never listen, do you, Rose?" he snarled.

Rose was taken aback by his menacing manner, but supressed her disquiet and forced herself to maintain a tone of playful banter. "Hey, Mister, don't you take that attitude with me," she forced a grin onto her face, "I was gettin' hungry. You left me waitin' for my most important meal of the day. 'S'at any way to treat your loyal companion?"

He stormed toward her, grabbing her roughly by her upper arm and hauling her out of the kitchen into the T.A.R.D.I.S. hallway. "You need to listen and do as you're told. I told you to stay in your room, and that is where you will stay until I know that you can follow instructions properly."

"What the hell do you think you're playin' at?" she yelped, tearing her arm out of his grasp. Her eyes locked with his, and she rapidly concluded that he wasn't playing at all, that something was terribly wrong. The person who stared back at her, with eyes like black flame, was frighteningly real, frighteningly alien, and all Oncoming Storm. She felt herself shrink before his anger, but compelled herself to stand her ground. "You do not get to speak to me like that! And you certainly don't get to push me around!"

He loomed over her, "You don't know who you're dealing with, Rose Tyler. You don't know what I could do to you."

Rose was stung by his implied threat, and had to dig very deep to find the resolve to not yield to the terror that gripped her in that moment. She spoke quietly but firmly: "Oh, I have a pretty good idea, Doctor. But I also know that you will not do it. Not to me."

"There's nothing I won't do, my little human, to keep you here with me. You _will_ learn to obey me," he leaned in toward her, pressing her against the wall, intimidating and dangerous.

She refused to give ground to his menacing tactics. She had dealt with an aggressive boyfriend in the past, and she was certainly not going to let the Doctor become like that, have that power over her, "You can jus' take me home right now, then, if this is how things are gonna be! You do not have the right to tell me how I should live: you may be a Lord of Time, but you are not Lord of me." She observed a trace of uncertainty diminish the fire behind his gaze, a direct consequence of her defiance, and it gave her the confidence to continue: "You. Are. Not. My. Master."

As she spoke her final words, the flames were extinguished completely. She didn't know what it was about her last statement that had affected him so deeply, only that the Time Lord had gasped in shock and collapsed to his knees at her feet. He buried his face in his hands. "Oh no, Rose," he whimpered, "I've gone too far, haven't I?"

Tentatively, she reached a hand out and touched his head, gently smoothing the wild mop of hair. He flinched at her touch, but she only deepened it. "Doctor, I know you would never deliberately hurt me," and as she spoke, she realized with absolute certainty that this was the truth, despite the aggression of the last few minutes.

His body sagged in defeat, and he flopped into a sitting position against the T.A.R.D.I.S. wall, legs spread out in front of him. She sat down beside him, and he turned to look at her. The wretchedness in his eyes caused her heart to falter. "Now, it's 'bout time you tell me what's goin' on, yeah?" she demanded.

In response, he reached out his hand and she instinctively recoiled from his touch. Tears welled in his eyes, and with reluctance, she allowed the contact. He traced the outline of her face, stopping when his palm was tenderly cupping her chin. His thumb stroked across her lips, and with subtle insistence he tilted her face up toward his, leaned in, and brought his lips to press against hers. His kiss conveyed so much love and need that she was momentarily overwhelmed, unsure of how to respond. She wanted to kiss him back, had craved it for so long. But she didn't trust the intent behind the kiss, and knew that after his earlier hostility it would be very inappropriate to allow him this indulgence. She pulled away from his mouth hesitantly, and took his hands in her own, caressing them to let him know that she was still there, still engaged in the emotions that he had expressed, but that she needed something more concrete to help her to understand where these feelings were coming from.

"Your face, Rose. The Wire, it took your beautiful face, your beautiful mind, and I wasn't sure I could get you back. It nearly won, Rose. It nearly took you from me forever…" his voice trailed away into nothingness. "What if I had lost you, never been able to see you ever again? It was all my fault for leaving you alone."

"Not your fault, Doctor," she brought his hands to her lips and softly pressed kisses to the backs of his long fingers, reassuring him in a whisper. "You didn't let that happen. I put myself in that situation. I'm so sorry. But, you: you brought me back to you."

"But I should never have left you alone to begin with, Rose," the dark edge returned to his voice, "I'm always putting you in danger, and one day …"

"We do seem to find trouble," she couldn't supress a nervous giggle. "But, Doctor, helping people, discovering new things with you, gives me a life worth living!"

He sighed wearily, and Rose felt his eyes watching her expectantly. When she explored their forlorn, brown depths, she was struck by the contrast with the black fury she had witnessed there just moments before. Now, they were pleading with her to keep speaking: "Doctor, sometimes we work side by side (that's the best, having your hand to hold,)" she allowed him to see the love in her own eyes, "and sometimes, it's 'divide and conquer'. But we're always a team, you and me. I _will_ die someday, yeah. We both know that will happen: curse of the Time Lords, and all that. But you can't just keep me in a safe, little box. While I still can, I need to be out there with you, and you need me there ... to keep you from … from going too far," she stammered.

He was quiet, simply staring at her, listening to her words, mesmerised. It was more than a little unnerving, his silence, but she returned the stillness, taking the opportunity to gather her conflicted thoughts. When she finally spoke, her voice was a hoarse whisper, "I don't know how we go on from here. You crossed a line today, Doctor …"

She looked down at their hands, still entwined, and couldn't bring herself to pull away from that tenuous link to her Doctor. He followed the path of her eyes, and gently withdrew his hands from hers. "I'm sorry, Rose, so sorry that you had to see the truth of me. I'll take you home."

"NO! NO! I _really_ don't want to go! Did you not just hear what I said, just now?" she reached out for his hands again, but he quickly stood up, out of her reach, his back turned to her.

"It's for your safety," he added, his voice taking on the detached quality it did when he was supressing his emotions, not allowing her to see what he felt for her. "Go pack your bags, Rose."

"Stop it! Just stop it!" she shouted in a panic. "Don't you run from me, now, after you kissed me like that! Don't you dare pretend that this will solve anything," she scrambled to her feet, snatching at his pinstriped back, and holding tight to the fabric. "Turn around and look at me!"

"What do you want from me, Rose?" his voice was tired, his eyes sorrowful as he faced her.

"Just you … as you are. I've seen what you hide, Doctor, even though you try to keep it from me. It's just … well it's never been directed _at_ me before. But, I said it earlier, and I meant it: I _know_ you would never deliberately hurt me. What you do, you do for my protection, even when I would rather have it any other way. Like supressing your feelings until they explode out of you, like today," she chided, grabbing a hold of his hands again.

He was silent again for a long moment, eyes cast downward in shame. "I just … oh Rose, I just get so scared." Another long pause, then: "I've come in to your room at night to watch you sleep, before today, when things have been too dangerous -" he blurted out, "- needed to know you were still there." His forehead creased into a vulnerable frown and Rose knew that he was frightened about how she would receive this sudden confession.

Rose just smiled in wonder that he would speak so openly to her, cherishing the fact that he trusted her enough to expose his soul to her in this way. "Should have let me know you were there, Doctor. There were lots of nights I could have used a hug. Lots of times I was so scared, I didn't want to sleep, 'cause I knew the nightmares would come."

"I have bad dreams too: you know I don't sleep much, but when I do the nightmares are always there. About the war, Gallifrey burning, and … over the last year or so about you, Rose. My guilt over everything I have done or failed to do; the mistakes I have made; my fears for the future, your future, our future. I tell myself I should just let you go. It would be so much easier, in a way, not needing to face the potential horrors that await you. But I'm selfish, my Rose. Over nine hundred years of living before I met you, and now … after just two, I can't imagine being able to go on if ..." she felt his grip on her hand tighten. "My life would be so empty without you here."

Rose rested her hand on his chest, between his two frantically beating hearts. "I'll be here as long as I can, Doctor. If you ever need some holdin', jus' let me know. I need to know you're there too, and I always feel safest when you hold me …" she bit her lip shyly, flicking her eyes up to meet his.

He responded by wrapping his arms around her, and drawing her as close to him as their bodies would allow. She melted into his embrace, allowing their unspoken love to fill their souls and spill out to one another. Then suddenly, he pushed her back from him, his fearful uncertainty evident in the tension that stiffened his body, "What is this, Rose? What is happening? You deserve so much more than this … than me …"

"This is us going forward, my Doctor. This is us, _together_, crossing back over that line in the right direction. This is us making sure that you give me what I deserve from now on. And, I suppose, me trying not to wander off and scare you. Teamwork, yeah?" Rose spoke resolutely, but inside she was trembling, wondering how he would respond.

She felt him enfold her in his arms. And this time when he bent his head down to taste her lips, she returned the kiss with all the love she could impart: tender, sweet, and honest. Eventually, reluctantly, they pulled apart, but remained joined by their hands. A small smile returned to the Doctor's face when he spoke, "So, how about I get you that breakfast, Rose Tyler: tea, toast, strawberry jam … or how about some scones, Rose? I could bake you a batch of the best banana scones you've ever tasted!"

"Scones! Really! That sounds brilliant! And I really _could_ use a cuppa," she sighed. "You know, though," she quipped, hoping to maintain the little bit of levity that was working its way toward something resembling their usual banter, "you're really surprising me: making me breakfast; even suggesting baking scones! I never thought that you would be willing to do something so … domestic."

"Nah, Rose, don't be silly," he replied with a serious expression that was softened by the mocking glint in his eye, "I don't do domestic, you know that! It's simply that breakfast is the most important meal of the day: it's just another way for me to make sure that you stay safe and well. And," his serious expression returned as he squeezed her hand reassuringly, "it's me starting to make sure I give you what you deserve."


	5. Chapter 5:Most Important Meal of the Day

**Always my eternal thanks to those who viewed, reviewed, followed and favourited! It really makes my day to know people are reading my silly little stories. As I mentioned last time, last week's story was the evil twin of this one which is much more happy and fluffy. Despite my love of fluff (in moderate doses, only!) I wasn't really happy with the way this one turned out. Until I made some significant changes just TODAY! It all suddenly became very clear, and it is much stronger story for my patience.**

**Much of the text of this one (definitely the first 800 words or so) are virtually the same as "Crossing a Line" from last week (so don't worry if you have a sense of deja vu), but the feel of the story is much different ... no Dark Doctor.**

**Anyway ... I'll just get on with it. Hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer (before I forget:) nothing about Doctor Who belongs to me. So very sad ...**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Most Important Meal of the Day**

"G'morning," Rose yawned, stumbling blearily into the kitchen.

"Rose Tyler!" the Doctor replied, "Finally, you're up!"

"Only 'cuz you hammered on m'door …"

"You little humans and your depraved obsession with sleep. Honestly, the day's half gone already, Rose!" He turned away to pop a couple of slices of bread in the toaster, and flicked on the kettle for tea, still prattling away about how the wasted part of their day could have been spent more productively.

Rose groggily registered his use of the word "depraved", filing it away for future reference when she was coherent enough to respond appropriately. Right now, her bed was begging for her return. She turned away and staggered back to her room, leaving the garrulous Time Lord rambling as he prepared their favourite mugs for tea.

Soon she was flopped luxuriously amongst heaps of duvets and pillows. She revelled in the gentle hum of the T.A.R.D.I.S. surrounding her peacefully, and her last drowsy thoughts as she drifted back to sleep was that _this_ was a very productive use of her day.

* * *

"Roooooose," she quivered as he whispered her name into her ear, feeling his cool breath tickle seductively across her throat.

"Mmmmmm, Doctor …"

"- you disappeared, Rose, left me alone. The tea's gone cold, now."

Her eyes snapped open from her dream to find the Doctor leaning over her, a bereft expression shadowing his normally animated demeanor.

He pouted like a child, and the eyes that met hers were sad and somehow frightened, "I turned around and you weren't there. You can't wander off like that, Rose. How often do we have to go over this?"

"Doctor, we're on the T.A.R.D.I.S., 'member? Jus' went back to my room, yeah. Nothin's gonna happen to me here."

"But you need to have breakfast, Rose. Most important meal of the day, breakfast."

Rose glanced at the bedside clock that she kept set to Earth time: He had wakened her at what time? 5:00 a.m. – really? "Maybe in a little while, yeah, Doctor? I wanna sleep a little longer. 'M still knackered from having my brain drained by that 'Wire' thing." Rose noticed his face blanch at the mention of the alien parasite. She smiled gently at him. "'M okay, Doctor. Jus' need a little more sleep."

"Guess I'll just go off and fiddle with the T.A.R.D.I.S., then, while you rest. You rest, Rose … yeah, that's for the best," he leaned over and pressed his lips softly to her forehead. She nestled into her pillow, savouring the touch of his cool kiss, and smiled up at him. He gazed at her briefly, then despondently jammed his hands deep into his pinstriped pockets, and reluctantly turned from her and left the room. "Daft alien," she muttered fondly as her eyes fluttered closed again.

* * *

She was gradually awakened by a growing awareness of little metallic clinking noises coming from the foot of her bed. Her sleep-hazed eyes discerned a large, dark shape lurking there, and she squealed in shock, dragging herself backward into a defensive crouch, prepared to fight or flee if necessary.

"Ah, you're awake, Rose!" Her vision cleared to the sight of the Time Lord, sitting cross-legged on the end of her bed, tinkering with a random gadget from the T.A.R.D.I.S., and grinning maniacally at her.

"Doctor!" she yelped, "You scared the sh -" She felt her pulse slow, "Just how long have you been sitting there?"

"Oh, not long, really. Just for a couple of minutes …well, hours, actually. You were asleep (sleep seems like such a lonely activity) and I thought you'd like the company. Besides, I didn't want to waste a minute."

She frowned her confusion at him and he clarified: "To get you breakfast, Rose. The most important meal of the day, remember," he leaned over and tapped her on the forehead with his index finger. "Now that I know that you're awake, I'll go get it ready," he leaped up from his perch. "You stay right there, Rose Tyler: no wandering off!"

A glance at the clock told her that it was now 8:30 a.m. and, while still earlier than was ideal, she grudgingly told herself that it wouldn't be unreasonable to get up now. It would make the silly Time Lord happy, anyway. She shook head in wonder at him, chuckling silently to herself at his quirky behaviour: just when she thought she had seen it all, he challenged her and took "eccentric" to a whole new level.

As soon as the bedroom door had shut behind the Doctor, Rose tossed aside the covers and tottered toward the en suite, pausing every few steps to stretch languidly. Suddenly, his head popped back in through the door. "Rose, what kind of jam - Rose? Rose, where are you, Rose?" his voice took on an edge of panic as his eyes quickly surveyed the empty bed. He ran his hands through his hair in his anxiety, tugging at the unruly strands.

"'M right here, Doctor," Rose spoke quietly.

"I told you not to move, Rose, and the minute my back is turned, what do you do?"

Rose rolled her eyes in disbelief, "Basic biological functions, Doctor." She sighed impatiently at his enduring mystified expression, "I need the loo!"

"Oh, right, that explains it then." The manic grin returned, "So, jam?"

"Uh, strawberry, please …"

"And you won't wander off?"

"Just to the loo," she assured him, shaking her head with a little smirk. "I could just meet you in the kitchen, Doctor."

"No! No, no, no, Rose Tyler. You need to stay put. Not only am I going to make you breakfast, I'm going to make you breakfast in bed," he gloated, and disappeared back down the hall.

* * *

A few minutes later, Rose leaped back into her bed, face shining in delight. She piled some pillows up behind her so that she could sit comfortably, and wriggled in anticipation: no one had ever served her breakfast in bed before! Even if it was just toast and tea it would be a treat, a lovely gift from her Doctor. Just as she began to allow herself to indulge in a little fantasy about the Time Lord to pass the time while she awaited his return, he reappeared, a smug grin on his face, carrying a tray laden with breakfast. He set it down on her bedside table.

"Oh, Doctor," Rose cooed as the Time Lord poured her tea, "this is perfect." She flashed her tongue-touched grin at him, nearly causing him to overflow her tea mug. "And scones instead of toast!"

"Yup" he declared, "made 'em myself, Rose Tyler. Banana scones, those are! Toast was alright, but since I had the time … and let's be honest, you deserve it!"

"Seems to me," she joked thoughtlessly, "that I should just get my mental energy violently sucked out by a hideous, plasmic-energy creature more often, if it means I earn a breakfast in bed the next day." Her careless giggle was suddenly stunned into solemn silence at the expression of utter misery that crossed the Doctor's face.

"Never, Rose, never ever …" he gasped the words out, clutching to the teapot desperately with whitened knuckles. She swore she saw tears welling in his ancient, brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Doctor. I was jus' kidding, yeah. I was being stupid," she reached up to pry his fingers from the pot, and set it down.

"Oh, Rose…"

"Aww, my Doctor," she breathed. "C'mon then," she patted the bed and scooted over to make room, "sit down and share some of these amazing scones with me. I'll even let you stick your fingers in the jam jar…"

He sat down and took the jar she held out to him, and absently began to scoop the preserves out with his fingers, and bring them to his mouth, his eyes staring blankly ahead of him. "Doctor, I said I was sorry," Rose touched his arm gently. "Are you alright?"

"I'm always alright, Rose," he muttered his voice full of resigned despair.

"Doctor, you and I both know that that is not true. I'm here, Doctor, listening, whenever you need to talk," she stroked his hand with her thumb in soothing circles, hoping she was writing _I love you_ in Gallifreyan.

After a moment of further silence, he turned to look at her and extended his hand to brush aside a tendril of hair from her cheek. He traced the outline of her face, stopping when his palm was lovingly cupping her chin. He spoke in a haunted tone, "Your face, Rose. The Wire, it took your beautiful face, your beautiful mind, and I wasn't sure I could get you back. It nearly won, Rose. It nearly took you from me forever…" His voice trailed away into nothingness. His thumb stroked across her lips, and with subtle insistence he tilted her face up toward his, leaned in, and brought his lips to press against hers. He tasted of strawberry jam and the loneliness of time, and Rose was overwhelmed by the depth and desperation of the love he was showing her.

She had craved this for so long, had dreamt of being swept away in a wave of passion, but as she returned the kiss, she found herself, instead, focused on him, trying to comfort him with all her love as she pressed her lips ever deeper against his. When she felt him pull away from her, she urgently reached up to place her hands on either side of his face. He responded by tenderly leaning his forehead against hers. "What if I had lost you, never been able to see you ever again? It was all my fault for leaving you alone," he lamented quietly.

"Not your fault, Doctor," she stroked the hair around his temples, reassuring him in a whisper. "You didn't let that happen, Doctor. I put myself in that situation. I'm so sorry. But, you: you brought me back to you."

"But I should never have let you go to begin with, Rose," a dark edge coloured his voice, "I'm always putting you in danger, and one day …"

"We do seem to find trouble," she couldn't supress a giggle. "But, Doctor, helping people, discovering new things with you, gives me a life worth living!"

"But you nearly died …" he growled.

"Doctor, sometimes we work side by side (that's the best, having your hand to hold)" she allowed him to see the love in her eyes, and took up his hand in hers, caressing it once again with his mysterious circular language, "and sometimes, it's 'divide and conquer', yeah. But we're always a team, you and me. We look out for each other, and always will."

They sat in unspeaking stillness for a long while, hands still clasped snugly, and sipping from their mugs of tea.

"I've come in here at night to watch you sleep, before today, when things have been too dangerous -" he suddenly blurted out, "- needed to know you were still there." His forehead creased into a vulnerable frown and Rose knew that he was apprehensive about how she would receive this sudden confession.

"Should have let me know you were there, Doctor. There were lots of nights I could have used a hug. Lots of times I was so scared, I didn't want to sleep, 'cause I knew the nightmares would come. I was wishin' you were there."

He was silent again, and when he spoke his voice was hoarse with emotion: "I have bad dreams too: You know I don't sleep much, but when I do, the nightmares are always there. About the war, Gallifrey burning, and over the last year or so, about you, Rose. My guilt over everything I have done or failed to do; the mistakes I have made; my fears for the future, your future, our future… My life would be so empty without you."

Rose accepted the rare gift of this admission of his feelings by placing her hand between his two hearts, "If you ever need some holdin', jus' let me know. I need to know you're there too, and I always feel safest when you're holding me …" she bit her lip shyly, flicking her eyes up to meet his.

He responded by wrapping his arms around her, and drawing her as close to him as their bodies would allow. She melted into his embrace, allowing their unspoken love to fill their souls and spill out to one another. As their hold on one another relaxed, Rose sighed, and leaned her head against his shoulder, and entwined their hands once more. They sat in contented peace for what seemed to be a blissful eternity.

Finally, Rose broke the spell: "This was lovely, Doctor," she gestured to the remains of their breakfast with a sweep of her free arm. "You really surprised me, baking scones, bringing me breakfast! I never thought that you would be willing to do something so … domestic," she flashed him a cheeky grin, and gave him a playful nudge with her elbow.

"Nah, Rose, don't be silly," he replied with a serious expression that was softened by the mocking glint in his eye, "I don't do domestic, you know that! It's simply that breakfast is the most important meal of the day: it's just another way for me to make sure that you stay safe and well, and right where I can keep an eye on you."


	6. Chapter 6: The Gift

**Thanks (always thanks!) for the follows, favourites, views, and reviews. **

**Some more Rose/10 fluff! I hadn't meant it to be GitF-related, but after Banana Daiquiris got mentioned, it became non-optional. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: We all know who Doctor Who and the characters belong to, and it sure isn't me.**

* * *

**The Gift**

One hand stuffed into a pin-striped pocket, the Doctor moped as he circled around the TARDIS console, using his free hand to sulkily set the knobs and dials. He made no attempt to hide his sour mood from Rose who sat on the jump-seat, eying him with amused suspicion.

"Not tryin' to worm your way out of goin' to Mum's birthday party are ya? She inquired shrewdly. "'Cause she'd want you to be there."

"Pffft," he huffed in response.

"No, really she would!" she hopped off the bench to stand just behind him. Leaning a hand on his shoulder, she pushed herself up onto her toes and whispered breathily into his ear, making him shiver and his knees go weak, "I think she secretly likes you … well, as long as you stay away from her kitchen."

"Believe me, Rose," he rolled his eyes, "after her reaction to my improvement of her toaster, I won't be inclined to do her any more favours."

Rose stifled a giggle, "Well, that's why we got her a 52nd Century model toaster as her gift, yeah. She'll love it and all will be forgiven."

"My best gift to her would be to steer clear of that party," he wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Rassilon, Rose! Why today?" he whinged after Rose refused to remark on his comment. "That's the beauty of a time machine. We can leave onerous tasks like this until a more convenient time."

"Doctor," she admonished, "you know I like to keep special events in line with my own timeline. What would happen if I showed up to her fortieth birthday party and I was older than she was? Pleeeease …" she implored.

He tried desperately to avoid looking at her, knowing that if he did he would only see appealingly forlorn brown eyes, and an irresistibly petted lower lip … urggh, her beautiful lips. "Nah, Rose," he uttered, eyes staunchly fixed on the console in front of him, "I'll just drop you off and pick you up later."

"And you think I'd let you go gallivanting around the galaxy without me? I think not! You could be gone for months and I'd never know!"

The thought that it was _his_ TARDIS, and that _he_ was in charge flittered indecisively across his mind, and then he felt her hand possessively grasp his. "I give you my word, Rose," he reassured her, "it's no fun gallivanting without you by my side, holding my hand," he turned around to catch her eye so that she would know he was being sincere. That was a mistake.

Rose wasted no time in applying her most bewitching techniques to break down his already shaky resolve. She seemed to know all of his weaknesses. "You mean it?" she beamed at him with that tongue-in-teeth smile that left him quite stupefied. His breath hitched (in a very manly way) as she sidled up to him, allowing her breasts to just barely graze against his chest as she leaned into him. She subtly swayed side-to-side, head tipped endearingly, and gazed up at him through her lashes, "Please, Doctor, we can have fun at Mum's party, too. C'mon … it'll be an adventure," her lips were now parted slightly in a seductive smile.

When she said it like that, weeeell, Jackie's party really did sound tempting … "Urggh, I give up," he groaned. "You owe me for this, Tyler," he threatened ineffectually. She linked her arm through his and sweetly kissed his cheek: "Ahhhh, payment in advance," he mused to himself, dazed. With that thought, he thrust the console lever to send them spinning through the vortex to the Powell Estate.

He stayed a cautious few steps behind Rose as they entered Jackie Tyler's flat, and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. He winced as Jackie's shrill tones filled his ears when she noticed her daughter's arrival. "Sweetheart! You made it!" Jackie wrapped Rose in an embrace that the Doctor wasn't convinced the younger Tyler would survive. "Wasn't sure the alien git would have found the right time. Oh, don't look at me like _that_: he does have a poor record for controlling where and when that box of his ends up, you know! Did you bring the great Time Lump with you then?" She looked up from her hug with Rose and noticed the Doctor still standing in the doorway. He hoped he had a sufficiently 'Oncoming Storm' sort of expression on his face, so that Jackie would know that he had heard her derogatory comments, and would hopefully leave him alone to his own devices for the remainder of the evening.

"Hello, Jackie," he grumbled. "Happy Birthday, then."

"Oh, come 'ere, you plum," she pushed past Rose, and to his horror, apparently unfazed by the prospect of the Oncoming Storm, placed a firm hand on either side of his face and pulled him down for a wet kiss on the lips. Rose was nearly doubled over with laughter at the sight. Once Jackie had mercifully released him, and had swept away to rejoin her guests, he vehemently wiped his mouth to Rose's further delight.

"Say nothing, Rose Tyler, I'm warning you," he growled.

She stepped very close to him, and reaching up a hand to his face, used the pad of her thumb to wipe the corner of his mouth where some of Jackie's lipstick lingered. He shuddered as she allowed it to trail sensually across his lower lip. "Please try to be good, Doctor," she warned, licking her own lips invitingly, "for me? I get an awful earful on the phone when you don't behave."

"I will if she does," he whined petulantly, arms crossed in defiance, but his eyes still trained on those gorgeous lips, imagining how they would feel against his. Allowing his gaze to drift up to Rose's eyes, he was startled back to reality by the firm frown and spark of anger that he found there.

"You sound like a spoiled brat," she shook her head in disapproval, and her lips were now pursed into a little scowl, still lovely but in a more dangerous way.

"I'm sorry, Rose," he sighed. "I just _hate_ this sort of thing. It's so … _domestic_," he virtually spat out the last word. "It just goes to show how highly I think of you that I'm even here at all. Don't worry. I won't get into any trouble. I promise. You go have fun and see all your relatives. Oh, and catch up on that daytime telly with your Mum's friends."

Rose positively beamed. "Eh, Mum tells me all that on the phone," she quipped. "Thank-you though, Doctor. This really means a lot," she gave him yet another chaste kiss on the cheek. He shut his eyes in pleasure at the contact and wondered how he would manage to maintain consciousness if they ever snogged properly.

As the evening progressed, the Doctor was actually finding the party rather enjoyable, although he would never admit that to Rose. Every time she looked at him sympathetically, he rolled his eyes or stuck his tongue out at a party-guest behind their back, just so he could make his pink and yellow human laugh, but in fact, he was enchanted by humans and their funny, little, primitive minds. He marvelled over how they could turn the most inconsequential matter into a major event, and yet when something of grave importance was staring them in the face, they managed to trivialize it to the point that they were able to convince themselves that they had only imagined it in the first place. He flirted outrageously with Jackie's friends and elderly relatives, and had fun trying to engage them in conversations about particle physics and relative dimensions. Later, he made everyone banana daiquiris, after convincing Jackie to allow him to use her blender with fervent promises that he wouldn't use his sonic screwdriver to increase its efficiency.

"So, aren't you the life of the party," there was a distinct snide bitterness to Rose's voice.

By the Second Sun! Didn't she _want_ him to enjoy himself? Ignoring the disapproving tone he grinned maniacally and thrust a daiquiri toward her, "On the house! Remember what I said before, Rose? Always take a banana to a party! Bananas are good!"

"I remember I wasn't all that happy with your behaviour _that_ time either," she recounted resentfully.

He could sense his chances of getting another little kiss diminishing rapidly. "Rose, I can make you a different flavour, if you prefer," he coaxed, recognizing that this was not the correct approach the second the words had left his throat: him and his stupid gob! He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and frowned at her in perplexed frustration, "Rose, I _am _very clever, a genius really, but I have no idea what I've done to upset you. Please, Rose, please tell me, so I can make it better," he begged. "I thought that you'd be happy that I was trying so hard to not ruin this evening for you and not get into trouble! I didn't even sonic the blender …"

Tears glistened in Rose's eyes, and her voice became sharper and angrier, "Oh, it doesn't matter! Never mind, _Genius_. If you are so thick that you can't figure it out –" She never finished her sentence, but instead spun around and ran off to the bathroom, visibly distraught.

He ran a hand over his face in frustration. What had he done? She had been fine until he started making those bloody drinks, those banana daiquiris. "Hmmmm …" he contemplated, "… Banana daiquiris … always take a banana to a party, Rose … 18th Century France … now _that_ was a _brilliant_ party! … Rose was captured by the clockwork droids … I danced with Madame de Pompadour … I _snogged_ Madame de Pomp – oh … and I _stranded_ Rose, leaving her behind without even a proper good-bye, and no way of knowing how I would get back to her … Rassilon!" Clearly, it was time to head back to the TARDIS. He would find Rose, apologize (a lot!) and take her home – he hoped she would still consider the TARDIS to be her home – and then sit her down and talk things through, if she would allow it. And then take her to some lovely planet with a spa so she could be pampered: no running, no monsters. "There, I have a plan: a good plan. Not brilliant, but it should hold up. A lot of gaps to fill in, but short notice and all … weeell, at least it's a start … urrgh, it's rather desperate actually …" he berated himself, a feeling of dread creeping into his hearts.

Despite his sense of urgency to sort things out with Rose, he had another extremely important issue he needed to take care of first, something that he had been planning for a very long time, and, tonight being Jackie's birthday, this was the perfect opportunity. As Rose still hadn't reappeared and he noticed Jackie going into the kitchen alone, carrying some empty dishes, he jumped at the chance to speak with Jackie on her own. After surreptitiously glancing around, to make sure that no one was paying attention to him, he slipped into the kitchen after her.

"Oi! You! Out of my kitchen, Martian!" Jackie chided as he closed the door behind him. "And keep that sonic thingamiwhatsit away from my appliances!"

"Jackie, it's a _screwdriver_," he moaned. He turned and pulled the pass-through shutters closed, to ensure privacy.

"Well you're not screwing anything around here, Doctor, just you remember that! You may be over 900 years old, but you're not too old for a slap."

Grimacing, he raised a hand to his face, reflexively rubbing the spot where she had slapped him in his previous regeneration. He swore he could still see feel the sting from it sometimes. He huffed in exasperation, "Jackie, please, I just need to talk to you for a mo."

"Alright then, I'm listening," her tone indicated that she would chase him with a wooden spoon should the conversation turn in a direction she didn't like.

The damage she could inflict with such a weapon made the Doctor very careful about how he proceeded. "Jackie, I just wanted to say 'Happy Birthday' properly," he reached into his pocket and drew out a tiny package, neatly wrapped in TARDIS-blue paper. He held the gift out to her. She eyed the package suspiciously, and seemed frozen in place, so he stepped forward, and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, nestling the little box into her hand. "For you, Jackie," he reassured her, "Happy Birthday."

"What's this about? Rose is _pregnant_, isn't she? Is this your way of butterin' me up before you spring the news on me? Where has she gotten to anyway?" she picked up a spatula that was lying on the counter, gesturing with it threateningly, "When I get my hands on her … oh, you're both goin' to get such a slap -"

"What? What? Jackie!" the Doctor interjected in alarm, "She's not! We're not! I swear! Really it's just a birthday gift. No ulterior motives. Just a gift."

"Well that's a relief then! But be warned …" she narrowed her eyes at him and gave the spatula an intimidating shake. "So, I can open it then? It's safe?"

"Very safe," he smiled ruefully. "Actually, it's something I've been meaning to give you for some time … and then, weeell, the toaster," he tugged his ear, "but when we were coming here tonight, and since it _is _your birthday … Oh just open it Jackie. I promise you'll love it!" He smiled toothily and watched as she tore the paper and opened the little box. Inside was a little platinum pendant in the shape of a rose. It was suspended from an intricate platinum chain.

Jackie held it up, in admiration. "Oh, it's absolutely beautiful, Doctor! A rose! For me? Really?"

"Open it: it's a locket. Hold it flat in your hand once it's open, though, otherwise, weeell you'll see," he instructed.

She fumbled a bit with the catch, but managed to pull the little pendant open, and laid it in her hand as the Doctor had directed. A beam of colourful light streamed up out of the locket, causing Jackie to gasp. Gradually, the beam coalesced into a little holographic image of Rose, about six inches high. The image grinned and waved at her, "I love you, Mum!" it said cheerily.

Tears started to roll down Jackie's cheeks. She just looked up at the Doctor mutely with an expression of ineffable gratitude on her face.

"I know how much you miss her, Jackie," he said quietly, "and how much you must worry about her. I don't blame you. I made this for you to have when you just need to see her and hear her voice. And, I just wanted to let you know, again, that I _promise_ I will do everything and anything in my power to keep her safe and protected, _always_. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to her. I just don't know how I would … if she …" his voice trailed off, as he found himself unable to bring the words to his lips.

"I need to know, Doctor: do you love her?"

"Yes," he breathed.

"But, do you really, really love her?"

"Yes, more than anything in this universe and any other. So very much, Jackie," his voice sounded strangled. He was unsure why he was confessing all of this to her, but just hearing himself say the words forced him to acknowledge that the sentiments he was expressing were very real. And he knew that Jackie needed to be reassured that his intentions were sincere. "I don't know how I could go on living without her. She's everything to me, she really is."

"Then I know you'll keep your word, sweetheart. C'mere, give us a hug." This time when she embraced him, he didn't try to pull away, but instead, gratefully returned the gesture.

"Doctor?" a small voice from the kitchen doorway startled them. They turned to see Rose standing there, leaning against the door frame, eyes sparkling with fresh tears. He knew by the way she looked into his soul that she had heard every word of his declaration, and his hearts began to thunder in panic. He found himself staring at her, his mind emptied of everything but thoughts of her, his Rose. Oh, everything would be different now: now that she knew. But she had always known, hadn't she? She knew she could make him tremble with desire… but maybe she hadn't known just how much he really _cared _about her… until now.

He felt a sharp jab in his back that broke him from his reverie, "Go to her, you daft thing!" Jackie admonished. "Go on, then!"

"Rose," he stammered, stepping uncertainly toward her. Rose reached out and clutched his hand, anchoring him. He looked down at his feet in an attempt to hide his emotions, "I … I, uh, never meant for you to hear all that, Rose." Oh his stupid head! His stupid gob! What a stupid thing to say! She would be devastated.

"Don't know that I would have believed it anyway," she responded sadly. "Don't know that I even believe it now. Not after … well … banana daiquiris …"

He pulled her into an embrace, resting his chin atop her blonde head, "Rose, I'm so sorry."

"Would you ever have told me … what you just told Mum?" she asked expressionlessly.

"I dunno," he winced at his blunt reply. She twisted away from him, obviously hurt, and he instinctively grabbed at her arm, to turn her back to him. "Doesn't mean I don't feel all that, though."

Jackie cleared her throat behind them making them jump. She smiled at them significantly, "I've got party guests to tend to. And you two need to go somewhere to talk this out, yeah." As she pushed past them through the doorway, she gave Rose a quick peck on the cheek, "I love you, sweetheart. And he loves you, too. Any fool can see that. Not so long between visits next time, yeah, love," she added as she rejoined the party.

"Let's go home, Rose Tyler," he wiggled his fingers, inviting her to take his hand, and desperately hoping she would. He sighed in almost painful relief as he felt her tentative fingers interlace with his. Their eyes locked and he tried speak but found himself tongue-tied. Instead, he led her out of Jackie's flat, down the stairs, and back to the TARDIS. Standing outside the familiar blue wooden doors, he was finally able to articulate some of the emotions he was experiencing. "I can face Daleks and werewolves and monsters of all sorts, but facing you, Rose Tyler, confessing how much I need you – that scares me to death."

His eyes drifted to her lips. She pressed them together nervously as she processed what he was saying, and as he watched, they curved into an endearing, pouty, little smile, "Am I really that scary?"

"Weeell … you need to calculate in the fact that I'm a complete coward, that you once had the Time Vortex in your head, and that every little look or touch from you leaves me completely defenceless, and –" he hesitated as she licked her lips, her smile hitching to one side engagingly. "And, uh, gaaaaah …" She stretched up and gave him one of her not-so-innocent little kisses on his cheek.

"You were saying, Doctor?" she prompted cheekily.

"Oh, you are _gorgeous_! Terrifying, but absolutely beautiful!" he grinned impudently as he found his voice. How lucky he was to have found this brilliant little pink and yellow human! She had saved him and healed him at a time when darkness and despair would surely have destroyed him. His thoughts abruptly turned darker and he became solemn again, "I just don't deserve you. I don't deserve to feel the way you make me feel. And you certainly deserve better than me."

"Doctor," she smiled, quietly reproving, "everyone deserves to feel loved, especially you. You do so much for other people. You've done so much for me. You've given me the chance to live a better life. And what you did for Mum, tonight: that hologram necklace."

"Oh, you saw that, did you?" he scowled in chagrin.

"Why'd you hide it from me, Doctor? That was a lovely thing to do for her, that gift."

"Weeell … a bit domestic that, don't you think? A bit … human," he ran a hand uncertainly through his hair. "I thought you'd never let me hear the end of it if you found out."

"Yeah, you're probably right!" she chuckled. "But, I still really appreciate it. I know how sad you are inside that big brain of yours, and you have so many more important things to deal with, but you still were willing to do that for me, for my Mum, and for that you deserve so much, just so much happiness, Doctor. I just don't know if I will ever be good enough for you. I don't know if I can make you happy, a shop girl from London … not when you could have the likes of Reinette."

His hearts lurched in sorrow for his Rose. How could she ever not consider herself worthy of him, when he was the one who was not worthy of her? He had been wasting so much of her precious life worrying about loving her too much, afraid of the pain that he would feel with her inevitable loss. Now he realized that he was only causing them both pain by not allowing himself to love her openly, pathetically living for brief moments of physical contact: heartfelt hugs, provocative teasing, and those (rather wonderful) little kisses.

He reached out to cup her cheek, and felt her lean into his palm, her eyes closing and her pink mouth parting in a sigh of pleasure as she did. Urggh, those lips looked so soft, so enticing. He could resist no longer, and he didn't want to. He wanted to show her how much she meant to him, to prove that the words she had heard him say earlier were honest and true. Tilting her face up toward his, he leaned in and tenderly brought his lips to hers. She whimpered in response, and he deepened the kiss. And when she ran her tongue sensually along his lower lip, he was very pleased to note that he had managed to remain completely conscious throughout the entire experience.

"It may not be _my _birthday," he hummed in her ear as the TARDIS door swung open, "but you, Rose Tyler, are a gift to me, the best gift I could ever imagine. I could never ask for more."


End file.
